South Carolina Football: News, Schedule Analysis and More for 2011 Season

This may finally be the year you can add the South Carolina Gamecocks to the SEC elite. They finished with a solid 9-5 record last season and enter this year ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll.

They return 14 starters from a year ago—including the nucleus that scored 30 points per game. Expectations are high, and fans have SEC Championship and possibly the BCS Championship on their minds.

Just a couple years ago, everybody was questioning head coach Steve Spurrier and wondering if he should just hang them up. But maybe he really hasn't lost a step and the old ball coach has still got it.

We should find out more this season, but the Gamecocks are for real and are a candidate to win the SEC East.